Nonsiphoning flush valve



Dec. 10, 1935. p MlLLER NONSIPHONING FLUSH VALVE Filed Nov. -50, 1932 2Sheets-Sheet 1 i N 6.1. 2mm? It I l N 1 Q m I M Tu Q N. .w m NW 3 N a EQ i m INVENTOR. fsp P MILLER.

Dec. 10, 1935. F. P. MILLER 2,023,788

NONSIPHONING FLUSH VALVE Filed Nov. 50, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6,& 27.9 4

& 19 f 65 c @6 k k 44- IN V EN TOR. .5212) P MIL L Patented Dec. 10,1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to valves such as are commonly usedupon water pipes for flushing closet bowls. It is of the fluid pressuretype in which, after manual actuation of a lever or button, the valve isopened by fluid pressure and subsequently automatically closed.

It is a general object of the invention to devise a valve of the abovecharacter which will give satisfactory and continuousperformance underadverse operating conditions, as for example the presence of sediment inthe water.

It is a further object of the invention to devise a flush valve which isrelatively simple in minstruction, which can be readily manufactured,and which will give satisfactory operation for a variety of linepressure.

It is a further object of the invention to devise a flush valve in whicha piston is provided with a cup washer thereon, said cup washer beingfree from the walls of the valve as the piston moves yet providing atight seal with a tapered portion of the valve when the piston is seatedin the closed position.

It is a further object of the invention to devise a flush valve whichwill positively seal the inflow passage with respect to the fluidpressure chamber and the bowl to which the valve is connected, therebyobviating pollution of the water in the main line in the event that thewater pressure falls below a given minimum value.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the followingdescription in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are setforth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is tobe understood that the appended claims are to be accorded a range ofequivalents oonsistent with the state of the prior art.

My invention is an improvement of the device disclosed by my copendingapplication Serial No. 513,287, filed Feb. 4, 1931, Patent No.1,937,044, dated Nov. 28, 1933.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view in cross section, illustrating aflush valve incorporating the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional detail taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section through a fragmentary portion of a valvecasing having a modified form of cylinder wall therein and showing theengagement of the cup leather on the piston valve in relation thereto.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation partly in section, of a piping system havinga flush valve constructed in accordance with myinvention incorporatedtherein, and operating in conjunction with a vacuum or suctioneliminating mechanism.

That modification of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of thedrawings consists of a hol- 5 low valve casing I 0, provided with alateral inflow opening H and a downwardly extending outflow opening l2.Suitable inlet and discharge pipes can be connected to these openings asillustrated. In the upper part of casing ll) there is a cylinder I3within which a piston 14 is disposed. As will be presently explained thelower portion of piston l4 forms a main valve member adapted tocooperate with a relatively stationary valve seat. To provide anactuator for manually initiating 15 operation of the valve, there isshown a fitting l'l threaded into one side of the valve casing l0. LeverI8 extends into fitting I! and is provided with an enlarged cam head 19.A slidable rod or plunger 2| is also carried by fitting IT and is'20provided with an enlarged head 22 adapted to cooperate with head l9.Spring 23 normally retains plunger 2| in retracted position. As will bepresently explained, a pilot valve member 26 is carried by piston 14,and is adapted to be engaged upon actuation of lever 18. Upon suchactuation piston I4 moves upwardly by fluid pressure, thus permittingthe flow of fluid thru the valve casing to the outflow opening I2. Aftera sumcient amount of fluid has been permitted to flow to efiect aflushing operation, piston I4 is moved downwardly by fluid pressure toclose the valve and to discontinue further flow.

The detailed construction of piston M, with its associated parts whichforms a piston assembly, is as follows: The piston body 25 as shown inFig. 1 is preferably formed of a suitable metal, such as brass, whichwill not readily corrode. The upper side of the piston presents a cavity21 to the space 28 above the piston. Space 28 is enclosed by cap 29 toform a fluid pressure cham her. As a part of the general pistonstructure,

a cylindrical bore Si is provided centrally within the body 25 of thepiston. A circular sleeve 32 of reduced diameter depends from the lowerend of tube 3 I, thus forming a relatively flat annular surface 33 atthe upper end of sleeve 32. An annular washer like member 34 made ofsuitable material, such as resilient vulcanized rubber, is removablyfitted within bore 3| and seated upon shoulder 33. The upper face ofmember 34 forms an annular seating surface for a pilot valve to bepresently described. A metal reinforcing ring 35 is shown frictionallyretained in member 34. It should be noted that member 34 is relativelythick compared to ordinary rubber gaskets, and therefore it will notwarp or buckle even though not positively clamped in position.

The port or passageway 36 thru piston l4, formed by bore 3| and sleeve32, forms a passageway for flow of fluid between the two sides of thepiston. It is this port or passageway 36 which is controlled by thepilot valve member 26. Pilot valve member 26 consists of a stem 31normally extending substantially centrally of port 36, and having a head38 secured to its upper end. The lower surface 39 of head 38 cooperateswith and is adapted to seat upon the annular surface formed upon theupper face of washer like member 34. The contour of head 38 ispreferably noncircular, as for example hexagonal as shown in Fig. 2, topermit a flow of fluid, between the head and the inner periphery oftubular member 3|, over the upper surface of washer like member 34, andthru passageway 36. A

screw 4| can be utilized for attaching head 38 to stem 31, and in orderto facilitate retaining the pilot valve member in proper position withrespect to the piston during assembly of the valve, I preferablyinterpose a removable retaining spring 42 formed as a spiral or helixbetween screw 4| and the plug 28 in the upper end of the piston l4. Thusas shown in Fig. 1 retaining spring 42 is formed of a piece of springwire bent in appropriate form and has its opposite ends respectivelyengaged in the slot provided in the head of screw 4| and against theunder side of the plug 20. The lower end portion 44 of stem 31 ispreferably conical shaped, and is adapted to be engaged by the innerconical shaped portion 46 of plunger 2|.

As has been previously mentioned, piston M by its movement controls flowof fluid thru the casing l0. Thus positioned within the valve casing andconcentric with respect to piston |4, there is a seat ring 41 made ofsome suitable non-corrodable metal such as brass, which has a forced fitwithin the casing to enable its removal for replacement. An annularrecess 48 is formed about bore 3| in the lower end of piston l4.Retained within recess 48 there is an annular seating washer 49 which ismade of suitable material such as resilient vulcanized rubber. The lowerannular surface of washer 49 is adapted to cooperate with the annularseating surface upon the upper annular end of ring 41. It will be notedthat ring 41 extends upwardly in front of inflow opening II, and thatthe body is formed to provide a pocket 5| surrounding ring 41 incommunication with inflow opening |l. Therefore when the piston I4 is ina raised position to permit flow of water over ring 41 and down thru theinterior thereof to the outflow opening I2, the water is divertedupwardly and then caused to flow downwardly. Thus in flowing thru thecasing the water is caused to impact against the lower end faces of thepiston, thus causing a portion of its kinetic energy to tend to lift thepiston. This is an advantageous feature of my valve as will be presentlyexplained.

The piston illustrated in Fig. l is of the loose fitting type in whichrestricted communication is provided between the inflow side of thevalve and pressure chamber 28, thru the clearance between the piston andthe inner walls of cylinder l3. In operating my valve with unclearwater, that is water containing a substantial amount of sediment,foreign particles may lodge between ton and the cylinder, a settlingpocket 53 is formed in the peripheral portion of the piston, preferablyadjacent the lower portion of the piston as shown in Fig. 1. The lowerside of pocket 53 is defined by annular ridge 54, which is ofsubstantially the same diameter as the diameter of the remainder of thepiston. As shown in Fig. 2 ridge 54 is flattened as indicated at 56, toprovide a port for relatively free fluid communication between the spacebelow the piston and pocket 53. When piston I4 is in its lowermostposition as shown in Fig. 1, ridge 54 is below the lower end of cylinderl3, and therefore any foreign particles which may have found their wayinto pocket 53 are free to settle out into the valve casing. Duringcyclic movements of piston I4 as will be presently described, there isan upward flow of fluid from the inflow side of the valve thru theclearance or space between the piston and the cooperating walls ofcylinder |3. This upward flow must traverse pocket 53, and since thispocket provides a space of considerable area compared to the clearancebetween the piston and the cylinder, the fluid within this space ismaintained in a condition of comparative quiescence, so that foreignparticles in the fluid tend to remain in this pocket, and do not tend tocontinue upwardly with the fluid between the piston and cylinder.

In operating the valve shown in Fig. l, assuming that water underpressure is applied to inflow opening H. and that the valve is closed,an operator forces lever |8 to one side thus projecting plunger 2| todisplace pilot valve stem 31 laterally. One side of head 38 is thuslifted from its seat, and water under pressure trapped in chamber 28 isexhausted into the outflow opening I2. The water pressure upon theinflow side of the valve thereupon forces piston |4 upwardly to permitwater to flow over and down thru the ring 41. As has been previouslyexplained, during flow of water thru the casing the water is deflectedupwardly assisted by the webs I03, against the lower side of the piston,thus expending considerable kinetic energy tending to continue upwardmovement of the piston to the limit of its travel and tending to prolongthe time required for a complete cycle of operation. By the time thepiston has moved to the upper limit of its travel, the pilot valvemember 26 has become closed, and flow of water into chamber 28 occursfrom the inflow side of the valve, thru the clearance provided betweenthe piston and the cooperating walls of cylinder l3. The piston is thusdisplaced, downwardly until the seating of washer 49 upon ring 41 closesthe valve.

By virtue of the fact that the water in flowing thru the valve isdeflected upwardly so that its kinetic energy tends to move the pistonupwardly, it is possible to use a greater clearance between the pistonand the adjacent cylinder walls, without having the action too rapid. Itis obvious that a greater clearance precludes jamming of the piston thruaccumulation of sediment and permits practical manufacture with agreater range of permissible tolerances.

The interior periphery of the wall of the cylinder l2 above the pistonvalve I4, is tapered at 50 to permit relatively free upward and downwardmovement of the said piston valve. The tapered portion 50 insures atight seating or sealing effect between the cup washer Bl around theupper end of the piston' and thecyllnder wall, to prevent leakage and tohold the pressure on the fluid confined above the piston when thepressure drops on the inflow side.. The plug 20 is threaded intoengagement with the upper end of the piston, and said plug 20 alsoengages the lateral flanged portions of the cup washer ill to hold saidcup washer in place, that it may engage the walls of' the cylinder.

I have provided a vertically disposed groove 52 of slight depth, on thetapered portion 50 of the cylinder, which groove 52 permits water belowthe upper end of the piston valve to escape into the area above the saidpiston valve during the periods when the piston valve is dropping fromthe opened into the-closed position. The groove 52 prevents water frombeing trapped below the upper side of the piston valve and interferingwith an emcient closing of the piston valve on its seat. The groove 52permits by-passing of fluid should the cup leather on the piston tend tohug or stick to the cylinder walls.

It will be noted that the tapered portion of the cylinder as shown inFig. 1, extends from a point substantially opposite the cup leather onthe piston valve (when the latter is seated) to the upper end of thecylinder within the fluid pressure chamber. With this construction somelittle resistance is encountered by the cup leather as it drops past thetapered portion of the cylinder into contact with the non-taperedportion thereof. This friction may, in some instances, proveobjectionable, and in order to avoid anything which might savor of amechanical defect in the apparatus, I have illustrated in Fig. 3 amodified method of constructing the cylinder wall.

In Fig. 3 I- have shown a cylinder i2, the upper end of which, withinthe area defined by the fluid pressure chamber, is of a greater diameterthan the lower portion of said cylinder. I have found it particularlydesirable to make the enlarged upper portion of the cylinder with atapered seat 50. The root of the taper starts at a point directlyopposite the position of rest of the cup washer when the piston valve I4is seated on the valve seat around the outflow opening. The taperedportion 50' extends upwardly toward the upper end of the cylinder for aportion of the length thereof, merging into a substantially uniformdiameter of cylinder wall as indicated at 50". The vertical flange ofthe cup washer St has a normal tendency to flare outwardly and to engagethe seat provided by the tapered portion 50' of the cylinder wall. Whenthe piston valve I4 is moved vertically in either direction, the cupwasher 5| does not contact the tapered bore of the cylinder. The cupwasher 5| only engages the bore of the cylinder 50' when the said pistonvalve is in the closed position.

The form of construction shown in Fig. 3 permits of the inflow of fluidpast the cup washer and into the pressure chamber above the pistonvalve, yet prevents a loss of fluid under pressure from the pressurechamber in a direction of flow downwardly toward the inflow opening. Ifthe cup washer 5i should be made of very flexible leather, it will tendto contact the tapered bore of the cylinder wall very lightly and not toan extent which would add any appreciable degree of friction to thepiston valve as it drops into the closed position or moves into the openposition.

The cup leather on the upper side of the pis- -per half of thediaphragm-chamber.

ton prevents water siphoning back into the inflow pipe in the event thewater pressure is shut off or drops below atmospheric. If the waterpressure upon the inflow pipe connections is shut ofi. or reduced toatmospheric or below, 5 water cannot be sucked past the cup washer intothe inflow pipe connections from the pressure chamber, nor can air orfluid be sucked into the inflow pipe connections from the fixture withwhich the valve isconnected. A vacuum on the inflow pipe would merelysuck out the water lodged between the piston and cylinder, and wouldpull the cup washer into tight contact with the cylinder walls, therebypreventing any leakage or loss of the fluid contained" in the pressurechamber. The cup leather holds the pressure in the pressure chamberagainst the piston to hold the piston closed, and to prevent siphoningof water past the piston.

The flush valve heretofore described is used in 2 connection withfixtures wherein there is a direct passage of water from the supply lineto the fixture for a predetermined period of time. In such fixtures, avolume of water is allowed to remain after the flush, which water may besiphoned back through the fixture into the supply line should a vacuumor suction condition occur in the supply line. It is possible that avacuum might develop in the supply line, during a period when the flushvalve may be in the process of .30 flushing a fixture, or may for-someother reason get out of order, which would tend to siphon the watersupply from the fixture backwardly through the flush valve, and in orderto prevent this, I have provided an apparatus on the roof of a buildingconnected to the supply line which will automatically tend to break anddestroy any vacuum or suction and to thereby render the entire systemnon-siphoning. In order to accomplish this I have shown my flanged valvegenerally designated by the numeral 60, connected by an inflow pipe 6|to a fluid supply line 62. The fluid supply line 62 is connected by apipe 63 to the under side 64 of the diaphragm chamber 65. The diaphragmchamber 65 consists of-a pair of dished members bolted together aroundthe outer circumference thereof and having a diaphragm 66 confinedtherein and dividing the inside area of the dished members into separatechambers. A stem 61 is attached centrally on the upper side 5:) of thediaphragm 66 and projects outwardly through a spring adjusting bearing68 on the up- An expansion spring 69 is interposed between the underside of the spring adjusting bearing 68 and the upper face of thediaphragm 66 to exert a downward pressure on the diaphragm. The upperside of the diaphragm chamber 65, in axial alignment with the stem 61,is provided with a ball valve housing 10, the upper end of said ballvalve hous- 0 ing being connected to a conduit H which in turn isconnected to the supply pipe 62. A valve seat 12 is provided in theunder side of the ball valve casing III, to receive the upper end of thediaphragm stem 61. A ball 13 is provided within 65 the casing Hi tocheck the outward flow of fluid through the valve casing 10 in the eventthe diaphragm stem 6] should uncover the opening on the under side ofsaid casing. The diaphragm stem 61 is provided with a protuberance 14 on7 the extreme end thereof, which protuberance I4 is adapt-ed to extendpartly within the valve casing I0 and to raise the ball 13 into anunseated condition. If it be assumed that the water pressure in thesupply pipe on opposite ends of the 7 diaphragm stem 61 is the same,then by virtue of the greater area of the diaphragm exposed to the saidpressure, it will be obvious that the upper end of the diaphragm stem 61will be held tightly against the seat in the valve casing 10, and thespring 69 will be forced into compressed condition. In the event thepressure in the supply line 62 should drop so that there would be nopressure on either end of the diaphragm stem 61,

then the spring 69 would tend to force the diaphragm stem 61 downwardlyand to uncover the port in the valve casing, and to thereafter allow theball 13 to seat itself over the uncovered opening. As a vacuum wouldtend to develop in the supply line, this vacuum would be broken byatmospheric air being sucked into the supply line past the ball 13. Theapparatus heretofore described thus permits atmospheric conditions toprevail in the supply line, and thereby destroys any vacuum or suctionwhich would tend to siphon any fluid past the flush valve 60.

Upon return of pressure to the supply line, the diaphragm stem wouldautomatically be returned to the closed position in readiness forfurther operation should any further vacuum develop in the supply line.The device illustrated in Fig. 4 functions as a check valve for breakingany vacuum in the supply line by allowing the displacement in the supplyline to become filled with atmospheric air. I have found a vacuumeliminating device such as described, to be desirable in some instancesfor use in connection with my flush valve.

My vacuum breaking device is so designed that it -will not be affectedby corrosion, sediment, or sticking thru long periods of inactivity, ascontrasted with the conventional types of ch'ck valve.

Having thus described this invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In a fluid operated valve, a. hollow casing having inflow and outflowopenings, a cylinder formed within the casing, a free floating pistonfitted within the cylinder, the space on one side of the piston forminga fluid pressure chamber,

and said portion of the cylinder in-the pressure chamber being'of alarger diameter than the lower portion of the cylinder, a main valveseat formed within the casing, a valve member cooperating with the seatand connected to the piston, said piston having a peripheral surfaceinterrupted by an annular settling pocket for sediment in the inflowingfluid, the'lower side of said pocket being defined by an annular ridgeof substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the remainder ofthe piston, a portion of said ridge being flattened to provide a portfor relatively free fluid communication between the space below saidpiston and said pocket, and a cup leather on the upper side of thepiston engaging the walls of the cylinder to permit the restrictedinflow of fluid into the chamber, and to prevent the exhausting of fluidfrom said chamber back to the inflow opening when the main valve memberis closed.

2. In a fluid operated valve, a hollow casing having inflow and. outflowopenings, a cylinder formed within the casing, a free floating pistonfltted within the cylinder, the space on one side or the piston forminga fluid pressure chamber, and the lower portion of the cylinder in thepressure chamber having a tapered seat therein, a main valve seat formedwithin the casing, a valve member cooperating with the seat andconnected to the piston, said piston having a peripheral surfaceinterrupted by an annular settling pocket for sediment in the inflowingfluid, the lower side of said packet being deflned by an annular ridgeof substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the remainder ofthe piston, a portion of said ridge being flattened to provide a portfor relatively free fluid communication between the space below saidpiston and said pocket and a cup leather on the upper side of the pistonengaging the walls of the cylinder to permit the restricted inflow offluid into the chamber, and to engage the tapered seat when the mainvalve is closed.

FRED P. MILLER.

